Affection to Rent
by Hawkeye-Barton
Summary: Just trying to get the feel for submitting. A Milex I wrote in my spare time. : Please RxR, though it may not stay up too long! One-shot.


Ever since the start of the tour, the only thing Miles was looking forward to was the end. He and Alex had been separated for almost a year, both of them touring different parts of the world, and Miles wanted nothing more than to lay in bed with his lover, inhaling his wonderful scent as he was lulled to sleep. He knew Alex was eager as well; the numerous phone calls they made to each other told them that. He wished they could have run into each other just once, but it never happened. When he was in Scotland, Alex was in America. And when he finally made it to America, Alex was halfway to Australia. It wasn't fair.

Miles relaxed as he plopped onto the bed in his hotel room for the last time. His show had worn him out, but overall, he was excited to get back home. It wasn't just Alex he missed; he missed Sardine and Marcie as well, and he missed walking around London just for kicks. Looking at his ring, he sighed sadly. It always reminded him of Alex, and the day that he proposed. Sometimes, it made him smile; he knew that Alex was always with him, even when he was alone.

The only thing to snap Miles out of his thoughts was his cell phone, which was ringing on the table next to him. He groaned, not really wanting to talk to anyone. _I swear, if it's one more-_ But once he saw the name on the screen, his face instantly twisted into a smile, and he picked up the phone. "Alex! Hey baby, what's up?"

"**Hey Miles,"** Alex said, though to Miles, he sounded upset. **"I'm afraid I got some bad news."**

Miles gulped, but he wanted to know. "Okay, what's wrong, baby? Is someone hurt? Are you all okay?"

He heard a slight chuckle from the other end; he knew Alex was laughing at his worried side. **"Don't worry, lovebug. Everything's fine. But I'm afraid I'm not going to make it home tonight to be with you."**

"But... why?" Miles felt his heart sink. "I thought that you were done last night..."

"**I was, but something came up, and we needed to take another couple shows. I'm sorry, baby. I really am."**

"No, it's fine." Miles made his voice sound cheerful, but he was starting to cry on the outside. "It's good that you got another few shows. Keep you busy, right?"

"**I guess... Are you gunna be okay, baby? I know how much you wanted to see me..."**

Miles nodded, though Alex couldn't see it. "Don't worry about me; I'll be fine. I'll call you later, okay? I love you; stay safe."

"**Love you too, Miles. Bye."**

Miles held the phone to his ear for a few extra seconds before throwing it at the wall as hard as he could. "Why?" He plopped face-first into the pillow, sobbing heavily. _Why Alex? Why?_

~.~.~.~.~

The plane ride seemed too quick for Miles; he wasn't looking forward to spending a few days alone. _Stupid Alex and his stupid tours...___Miles knew he was acting childish, but at the moment, he could care less.

He lingered at the door of his and Alex's flat, not wanting to go in, but when he looked up, his mind swirled in confusion. He could see that a light was on, though he was sure that he and Alex had turned everything off before they left. His heart started to beat rapidly as he thought of the possibilities. _What if there's an axe murderer in there, or a thief? Oh, don't be stupid, Miles. They wouldn't turn the lights on..._

Still, as paranoid as he was, he grabbed an umbrella that was in the foyer and made his way to the living room, only to see no one. The living room light was on, as well as the light to the hallway, but that's all he could see from where he was standing. _Well, now that you made yourself look like an idiot, you should drink some tea and go to bed._

As Miles headed over to the cupboards to get a tea cup, however, he heard music coming from down the hall. _Okay, now I know someone's here... But if they wanted to hurt me, wouldn't they have come out by now?_ The younger lad made his way down the hall carefully, the only sounds he heard coming from the bedroom. The door was closed, but the light was shining through the gaps.

_Well, it's now or never..._ Miles closed his eyes and pushed open the door. He waited for several seconds when the music stopped, but then he opened his eyes. "No way."

"**Hey baby. You're home early." **Alex smiled, putting his guitar down.

"Alex, you're... you're home. Which means..." Miles formed his hand into a fist and punched his love in the face. "God dammit Alex you lied to me!"

Alex laid on the floor, unmoving. **"I thought you'd be pleasantly surprised."**

"I'm angry and surprised all at the same time!" Miles yanked Alex off the floor, hugging him tightly. "Why did you say that you weren't gunna be home if you knew you were?"

"**Well, I wanted to surprise you. We just got home from a yearlong tour, so I couldn't do anything fancy for our two year anniversary."**

"Shit, that's right!" Miles felt like he was just punched in the gut. "I can't believe it's been two years, love."

The elder smiled. **"Neither can I. And to make things even more interesting, it's also the four-year anniversary of Age of the Understatement."**

"Holy shit. It's been so long..." Miles nuzzled into Alex's shoulder. "Even though I'm mad that you lied, I'm so glad you're home. I love you. Happy anniversary."

"**Happy anniversary. Oh, and Miles?"**

"Yeah, love?"

"**Thanks for knocking my tooth out, you big lug."**


End file.
